Those of us who are old enough to remember the Beatles first appearance on Ed Sullivan are used to great things coming from Europe. Among the latest in the outdoor world is “glamping.” There are, literally, thousands of places to…

WASHINGTON – Attorneys general from Connecticut and 14 other states filed a legal challenge on Tuesday over the Trump administration’s delay of Obama-era rules reducing emissions of smog-causing air pollutants. The states petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…

A big deadline was looming in my day job. After recent rains, the collection of weeds and random grasses I call my lawn looked like a long-neglected hayfield. We’d moved a year ago and there are still boxes in the…

So, how did you spend Fourth of July? Across New England, it seems, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Up here in the mountains, the early morning was cool, almost chilly with dew on the grass; as the day progressed, blue…

OK, I’ll confess. As anyone who has read this column more than once will already know, I’m clearly out of step with the general population. As much as I love being outdoors, I find it hard to get motivated to…

Risk is a part of everyday life, and anyone who recreates outdoors, especially on or near water, is putting themselves in some degree of peril. Someone sitting on a blanket at the beach on a summer day probably had to…

Do you ever get the feeling that it’s time to try something new? Mix it up? Use your muscles in a different way? Challenge yourself to learn a new skill? Overcome a fear that’s been holding you back? May I…

If you ask Merriam-Webster for synonyms to the word “hut” you get: “cabin, camp, hooch (or hootch) [slang], hovel, shack, hutch, hutment, shanty.” Clearly no one from the dictionary’s staff has ever stayed at the AMC Huts (outdoors.org) in the…

Most people, I believe, think of camping as a summer activity, but, frankly summer is not my favorite camping season – fall is, by far. I like the nights cool enough so I can enjoy the warmth of a campfire…

While the Deep South (that would be Massachusetts and points south) enjoys a fleeting, semi-mythical paradise called “Spring,” those of us lucky enough to live farther north (or who come here to play) get “Mud Season.” It’s true that the…

If you’d like to experience western powder skiing without having to get on a plane, I’ve found the place for you! The calendar says it’s spring, but you’d never know by the look or feel of the Chic Choc Mountains…

So, how much snow did you get from the recent storm? More importantly, have you gotten out and enjoyed it? Every ski area in New England New York and Quebec got at least a foot of snow, most got closer…

The theme of this column is seizing the day. In February, when we were getting a foot or more of snow every few days, it seemed like we could relax; winter was going to stick around for awhile. Other than…

My recent sightings of a bobcat in our backyard motivated me to review the extensive research I had done about wildlife in New England. Here’s some of what I believe is informative and interesting. According to the Connecticut DEEP wildlife…

OK, skiers and riders, how long has it been since you were towed up a hill by a “standing surface lift?” That would be a device with an overhead cable that pulls you up the hill while your skis remain…

So far it’s been one of “those” winters over much of New England. Variable doesn’t begin to describe it. Most places have had some snow, and some have had a lot. But we’ve also had too much sleet and rain….

Friends, let us stand today in the shadow of giants who roam the earth and give thanks. For their names are Pisten Bully, Prinoth, Bombardier, Tucker Snow Cat and Thiokol and they deliver unto us skiable snow surfaces when Mother…

After the “Winter That Wasn’t” of 2015/16, it was great to see everyone out and enjoying the snow during the all-important Christmas-New Year holiday. Snow is good for the northern economy and it’s even better for the folks who get…

It’s shaping up to be a “real New England winter,” and that means riding the “Colder Coaster.” You know what that is: below zero one morning, snow as it warms up, rain or freezing rain the next day, back to…

THOMASTON – The town is rallying to support 6-year-old Hunter Trafka after he underwent his third brain surgery in early December. Hunter was diagnosed with hydrocephalus at 6 months old. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which extra cerebral fluids build…

Looking out my office window in the Mount Washington Valley, there’s about 4 inches of fresh, light powder snow covering everything. Not nearly enough to ski or snowshoe (unless you are truly a fanatic!), but it appears that winter is…

SEATTLE – Eddie Bauer recently launched a national marketing campaign featuring its first TV ad in years and emphasizing the company’s roots and transformation into an “active outdoor lifestyle brand.” If that sounds familiar, well, it is. The company, which…

It’s easy to get caught up in the holiday rush, but there’s plenty to do outdoors before Christmas comes. Retailers will hate me for saying it but, no, I’m not talking about participating in the mass hysteria that is “Black…

Sometimes, it’s easy to go a little stir crazy during “stick season,” while waiting for snow. You want to be out backcountry or cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, but Mother nature isn’t cooperating quite yet. Unless you are a deer hunter,…

OK, I’ll admit it, I’m excited. The annual “Who’s on First” competition is over, and Killington Resort (killington.com) in Vermont was the first northeast ski area to turn their lifts for skiers and riders. They opened for season pass holders…

Where I live in the Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire, it was 78 degrees and sunny two days ago. It’s raining lightly as I write this – which is why I’m in the office getting this done rather than…

With a prolonged drought in full control across much of New England this summer, the foliage season is a big question mark. The display seems to have started early in some places, not yet in others. Typically, dry years are…

Ski season? Seriously? It’s been 90 degrees recently and about as dry as the Sahara. Why would anyone in their right mind be thinking about ski season? Because you can save a pile of money, that’s why. Right now is…